Diver&#39;s patch for propeller shafts



y 1950 G. B. ROWLEY ET AL 2,508,078

DIVERS PATCH FOR PROPELLER SHAFTS Filed July 26, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTORJ M Qiimg.

ATTORNEK M y 16, 50 G. B. ROWLEY ET AL 2,508,028

DIVERS PATCH FOR PROPELLER SHAFTS Filed July 26, 1946 2 Sheets-Shem 2INVEN T012;

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Patented May 16, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DIVERS PATCH FORPROPELLER SHAFTS Application July 26, 1946, Serial No. 686,590

9 Claims.

The present invention relates to a patch for temporarily sealing thestern gland of a ships propeller shaft, in order to allow work to bedone on the gland from the inside of the hull without dry-docking theship.

The invention contemplates an elongated patch of flexible material whichcan be wrapped around the rope guard of the ship overlapping the hub ofthe propeller and the hub of the stern post, and novel means formaintaining the wrapped patch tight in order to exclude water. The patchcomprises, broadly, an inner member of soft resilient material and anouter resilient but non-extensible backing or reinforcing member. Afterthe two members have been wrapped around the rope guard, and the ends ofthe outer member have been secured together, pressure is applied, eitherby expanding the inner member or by constricting the outer member, sothat the soft inner member is squeezed between the non-extensible outermember and the rope guard, and forms water-tight seals at the endsthereof.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a patch which can beeasily applied by a diver, and which will maintain a water-tight sealaround the rope guard of the propeller shaft and the hub of thepropeller.

Another object is to provide a patch which can be removed, from thesurface, without necessitating under water work during the removal.

Still further objects and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent from the following description of a preferred apparatus and amodified form thereof, which should be read with the understanding thatchanges, within the scope of the claims hereto appended, may be made inthe form, construction and arrangement of the several parts hereinillustrated and described, without departing from the spirit of theinvention as defined in said claims.

Reference will be made to the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1 is alongitudinal view, partly in elevation and partly in section, showing apreferred embodiment of the invention applied to the propeller shaft ofa ship.

Figs. 2' and 3 are respectively a broken outside elevation and a brokenedge elevation of the patch when removed from the work.

Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively a broken outside elevation and a brokenedge elevation of a modified form of patch.

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal view partly in elevation and partly in sectionof portions of the propeller shaft and stern post of a ship showing themodified form of patch applied thereto.

Fig. '7 is a transverse section of the ship parts and the patch shown inFig. 6.

In the drawings, the reference numeral l0 designates the stern post of aship in which is mounted the usual bearing II for the propeller shaftl2. I3 is the hub of the propeller and I 4 is a portion of one of theblades thereof. I5 is the stern gland packing held in place by the ring[6. II is the rope guard, a tubular member surrounding and spaced fromthe shaft I2, and secured at its forward end I8 to the stern post H).The rear end IQ of the rope guard surrounds and is slightly spaced froma shoulder 20 of the propeller hub l3. The parts described above arestandard construction.

In order to enable work to be done on the gland or the bearing H frominside the hull while the ship is in the water, it is necessary to sealthe annular space between the end 19 of the rope guard and the propellerhub l3, and it is sometimes necessary also to seal the joint between theend l8 of the rope guard and the stern post. In its preferred form, asshown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, our patch comprises a flexible fiat tube 2|formed of rubber reinforced with canvas or other suitable material, anda flexible but non-extensible steel backing or reinforcing strip 22. Therubber tube 2| has its sides vulcanized together along its longitudinalcenter, as shown at 23, to hold it in flat form, and is removablysecured to the steel backing strip 22 by a series of snap fasteners 24.

The rubber tube 2| is wide enough to overlap the ends of the rope guardII, as is shown in Fig. 1, and it is long enough to wrap around the ropeguard with at least a few inches of overlap at its ends. The steelbacking strip 22 is slightly narrower than the rubber tube, and has apair of hooks at one end comprising fiat spring fingers 25 withprojecting lugs 26 at their outer ends. The other end of the backingstrip has two series of spaced holes 21 in which the lugs 26 are fittedto hold the patch in wrapped position around the rope guard. The ends ofthe rubber tube are closed so that it is air tight, and it is providednear one end with a nipple 28 adapted for connection with an air hose,not shown, so that it can be inflated. For convenience in handling, thesteel strip 22 is provided midway of its length with a transverse hinge29.

In applying the patch, a diver wraps it around the rope guard as tightlyas he can, with the end having the hooks 25 overlapping the end havingthe holes 21. He then engages the hooks with the holes and infiates therubber tube by means of an air hose, not shown, connected with thenipple 28. Expansion of the rubber tube by air pressure causes it to besqueezed tightly between the steel strip 22 and the rope guard and thehubs of the stern post and the propeller to form water-tight seals atboth ends of said rope guard. The stern gland can then be dismantledwithout risk of flooding, and if any slight leakage occurs it can bestopped by increasing the air pressure in the tubular patch.

The backing strip 22 is preferably made of some material havingresilience and resistance to corrosion, such for example as stainlesssteel. It is thin enough to be easily bent around the rope guard by oneman and held while the hooks 25 are being engaged in the holes 21. Afterthe completion of the work on the stern gland, the patch is removed by arope, not shown, attached to the hooks 25. The rubber tube 2| is firstdeflated by relieving the air pressure, and the rope is then pulled todisengage the hooks 25. The resilience of the steel backing strip causesit to expand and straighten out, and the entire patch can then be pulledto the surface by means of the rope. The removal of the patch,therefore, does not require a diving operation.

A modified form of our patch is shown in Figs. 4 to '7. It comprises anelongated strip 30 of soft resilient material, preferably sponge rubberand a pair of non-extensible members such as chains 3! securedlongitudinally to the back or outside thereof. For approximately halfthe length of the strip the chains are encased in rubber hoses 32 inorder to prevent chafing the sponge rubber strip, and said hoses orchain pipes 32 are secured to the back of the sponge rubber strip bysuitable clips 33.

The chains are provided at one end with toggle hooks 34 which are formedto be passed through the links at the other ends of the chains, andwhich draw said chains up tight when swung back as shown in Fig. '7.Sliding loops 35 are provided to hold the toggle hooks 34 in tightenedposition.

The modified form of patch is applied, as shown in Figs. 6 and '7, bywrapping it around the rope guard and drawing it up tight by means ofthe chains and the toggle hooks. It is long enough to have considerableoverlap, as shown, and is Wide enough to extend beyond the ends of therope guard and to bind against the hubs of the stern post and thepropeller in order to make a tight seal. The patch is applied by adiver.

Lead weights 36 are attached to the edges of the patch, and when thehooks 34 are released to remove the patch, the weights 36 pull itdownwardly off the rope guard and enable it to be handled easily underWater. The patch can be removed from the surface by means of ropes, notshown, attached to the sliding loops 35 which hold the hooks intightened position. By pulling on said ropes the loops are drawn backfrom the hooks, which then swing open due to the tension of the chains.The weights 36 cause the patch to unwrap itself from the rope guard, andit can then be pulled to the surface by means of the ropes.

We claim:

1. A stern gland patch in the form of a strip adapted to be wrappedaround the rope guard of a ships propeller shaft in position to overlapthe hub of the propeller, said patch comprising connected inner andouter members, said inner member being soft and yielding and said outermember being non-extensible, means for fastening together the ends ofthe outer member to maintain the patch in its wrapped position aroundthe rope guard and the propeller hub, and means for applying pressure toone of said members to cause the inner member to be squeezed between theouter member and the rope guard and propeller hub.

2. A stern gland patch comprising a strip of compressible materialhaving a length enabling it to be wrapped around the rope guard of aships propeller shaft, and having a width sufficient to overlap the hubof the propeller at the end of said rope guard, a flexiblenon-extensible member secured to the back of said strip, means forseparably fastening together the ends of said nonextensible member, andmeans for tightening the patch when wrapped around said rope guard toseal the space between said rope guard and the adjacent hub of thepropeller.

3. A stern gland patch comprising a compressible and expansible striphaving a length enabling it to be wrapped around the rope guard of aships propeller shaft, and having a width sufficient to overlap the hubof the propeller at the end of said rope guard, a flexiblenon-extensible strip wrapped around outside said compressible andexpansible strip, means for fastening together the ends of saidnon-extensible strip, and means for expanding said compressible andexpansible strip within said non-extensible strip to seal the spacebetween the end of said rope guard and the adjacent hub of thepropeller.

l. A stern gland patch comprising an inflatable tube having a lengthenabling it to be wrapped around the rope guard of a ships propellershaft, and having a width sufficient to overlap the hub of the propellerat the end of said rope guard, a flexible non-extensible strip wrappedaround outside said tube, means for fastening together the ends of saidstrip, and means for inflating said tube to cause it to seal the spacebetween the end of the rope guard and the adjacent hub of the propeller.

5. A stern gland patch comprising a flat inflatable tube having a lengthenabling it to be wrapped around the rope guard of a ships propellershaft, and having a width suflicient to overlap the hub of the propellerat the end of said rope guard, said tube having its flat sides joinedtogether along their longitudinal center line, a flexible non-extensiblestrip separably attached to the outside of said tube and wrapped aroundit, means for fastening together the ends of said strip, and means forinflating said tube to cause it to seal the space between the end of therope guard and the adjacent hub of the propeller.

6. A stern gland patch comprising an inflatable tube having a lengthenabling it to be wrapped around the rope guard of a ships propellershaft, and having a width sufficient to overlap the hub of the propellerat the end of said rope guard, a non-extensible member wrapped aroundoutside said tube, a hinge having a transverse axis between the ends ofsaid non-extensible member, means for fastening together the ends ofsaid non-extensible member, and means for inflating said tube to causeit to seal the space between the end of the rope guard and the adjacenthub of the propeller.

'7. A stern gland patch comprising a strip of soft compressible materialhaving a length enabling it to be wrapped around the rope guard of aships propeller shaft, and having a width sufflcient to overlap the hubof the propeller at the end of said rope guard, a flexiblenon-extensible member secured to the back of said strip and wrappedaround outside it, and means for fastening together the ends of saidnon-extensible member and drawing it tight around said strip to compressthe same.

8. A stern gland patch comprising a strip of soft compressible materialhaving a length enabling it to be wrapped around the rope guard of aships propeller shaft, and having a width sufiicient to overlap the hubof the propeller at the end of said rope guard, a pair of parallelnon-extensible members secured to the back of said strip and wrappedaround it, one near each edge thereof, releasable fastening means forseparably joining together the ends of each of said non-extensiblemembers, and means for tightening said members around. said strip tocompress the same.

9. Temporary sealing means for a ships stern gland comprising thecombination with a propeller shaft, a propeller hub fixed thereon, astern post through which said shaft extends, and a tubular rope guardsurrounding a said shaft between said stern post and said hub, of apatch wrapped around said rope guard and overlapping REFERENCES CITEDThe following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,563,922 Pohler Dec. 1, 1925FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 24,323 Great Britain Oct. 31, 1906101,479 Great Britain Feb. 8, 1917 377,422 Great Britain July 28, 1932167,005 France Apr. 23, 1934

